St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-08
BLAINE HEARD FROM.
The Man From Maine Makes
His First Political Bluff
for 1888.
He Gets Himself Interviewed
About President Cleve-
lands Message.
He Would Give a Poor Man
Tobacco, But Shut Off His
Beer.
Posing as the Friend of Pro-
tected Labor--A DeXtepouS
Document.

New YORK, Dec THE Tribune of
tomorrow will contain long interview
with Hon. James q. Blaine on President
Cleveland's message. 1t was taken in
short hand under the direction of the
Tribune'S Paris correspondent and sent
by cable tonight. 1t is as follows:
Il have been reading an abstract of
the presidents message and have been
especially interested in the comments of
the London papers. Those papers all
assume to declare the message is free
trade manifesto, and evidently are an
ticipating an enlarged market for Eng
glish fabrics in the UnitOd States as a
consequence of the presidents recon-
mendatiOns. Perhaps that fact stamped
the character of the message more
clearly than any words of mine can"
You don't mean actual free trade
without duty?" queried the reporter.
mo, no." replied Mr.. Blaine. Nor
do the London papers mean that. They
simply mean that the president has rec
commended what in the United States is
known as0 a revenue tariff, rejecting
the protective feature as all object and
not even permitting protection to result
freely as an incident to revenue duties"
Il don't know that l quite compre-
hend that last point" said the reporter
Il mean," said Mr.. Blaine, that for
the first time in the history of the
United States the president recommends
retaining the internal tax in order that
the tariff may be forced down even be-
low the fair revenue standard. lie rec
Ommends that
THE TAX ON TOBACCO
be retained, and that many millions an
nually shall be levied on a domestic
product which would far better come
from tariff on foreign fabrics"
Then do you mean TO imply that you
would favor the repeal of the tobacco
taX?'
Certainly, 1 mean just that said
Mr.. Blaine. Il should urge that it be
done at once, even before the Christmas
holidays. 1t would in the first place
bring great relief to growers of tobacco
all over the country, and would, more
over, materially lessen the price of the
article to consumers. Tobacco to mill
ions of men is necessity. The presi-
dent calls it luxury, but il is a luxury
i'll no other sense than tea and coffee are
luXuries. 1t is well to remember that
the luxury of yesterday becomes a neceS-
sity of to-day. Watch, if you
please, the number of men at
work on the farm, in the coal mine,
along the railroad, in the iron foundry,
or in any calling, and you will find 95 to
100 chewing while they work. After
each meal the same proportion seek the
sOlace of a pipe or cigar. These men
not only pay the millions of the tobacco
tax, but pay on every plug and every
cigar an enhanced price which the tax
enables the manufacturer and retailer to
impose. The only excuse for such
tax is
THE ACTUAL NECESSITY
under which the government found it
self during the war, and the years i'm
mediately following. To retain the tax
now in order to destroy the protection
which would incidentally flow from rails
ing the same amo ult of money on for
eign imports, is certainly most extra
ordinary policy for our government"
We'll, then, Mr.. Blaine, would you
advise the repeal of the whisky tax
alsO?"
NO, would not. Other conditions
than those of financial administration
are to be taken into account with re-
gard to whisky. There is moral side
to it. To cheaper the price of whisky
is to increase the consumption enor-
mOusly. There would be no sense in
urging the reform wrought by high
license in many states if the national
government neutraliZeS the good effect
by making whisky within the reach of
every one at 90 cents gallon. Whisky
would be everywhere distilled if the
surveillance of the government were
Withdrawn by the remission of
the tax, and illicit sales could not
then be prevented even by policy as
rigorous and searching as that with
which Russia pursues the Nihilists. 1t
would destroy high license at once in
all the states. Whisky has done vast
deal of harm in the United States. !
would try to make it do some good. |
would use the tax to fOrtify our cities
on the seabOard. In view of the power
full letter addressed to the Democratic
party on the
SUBJECT OF FoRTIFICATIONS
by the late Samnel j. Tilden in 1885, l
am ama3od that no attention has been
paid to the subject by the Democratic
administration. Never before in the
history of the world has any govern
ment allowed great cities Oh the sea-
board, like Philadelphia, New York,
Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans and
San Francisco, to remain defenceless."
But" said the reporter, you don't
think we are to have war in any direc-
tiOn?''
Certainly not" said Mr.. Blaine.
Neither, | presume, did Mr.. Tilden
when he wrote his remarkable letter.
But we should change a remote chance
into an absolute impOSsibility. If our
weak and exposed points were strongly
fortified, if to-day we had by any chance
even such war as we had with Mexico
our enemy could procure irOncladS in
Europe that would menace our great
cities with destruction, or lay them
under contribution"
But would not our fortifying posi-
bly, look as if we expected war?''
''Why should it any more than the
fOrticatiOnS made seventy or eighty
years ago by our grandfathers when
they guarded themselves against sue
cessful attack from the armamentS of
that day. We don't necessarily expect
a burglar because we lock our doors at
night, but if by any possibility burglar
comes it contributes vastly to our peace
of mind and our sound sleep TO feel that
he can't get i'll.
But after the Notifications should be
would you still maintain
the tax on whisky?"
Yes" said Mr.. Blaine, 80 long AS
there is whisky to tax | would tax it.
and when the national government
should have no use for the money
would divide the tax among the federal
union with the specific object of light
ening the tax on real estate. The
houses and farms of the whole country
pay tCo large a proportion of the total
taxes. If ultimate relief could be
given in that direction il would.
in my Judgment, be wise and beneti-
La. l..nt L.